


jokes on you, not me

by jumpolcult



Category: HIStory3: 那一天 | HIStory3: Make Our Days Count
Genre: Angst, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Internalized Homophobia, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-15
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:00:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21799495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jumpolcult/pseuds/jumpolcult
Summary: Seeing as Xiang Hao Ting is their school's resident chick magnet, his friends thought it would be funny to dare him to try and get with the quiet boy who sat in the back of their class.Hao Ting never backs down from a challenge.
Relationships: Xiang Hao Ting/Yu Xi Gu
Comments: 45
Kudos: 93





	1. prologue

The bell had just rung and Xiang Haoting and his friends were lingering in the class room longer than usual. Usually they were the first ones out the door. They were feeling particularly rambunctious today, and decided they'd try to become friends with the quiet boy who sat in the back of their class.

"friends"

"What's your name?" Called Haoting, condescendingly but not enough so as to alert any teachers perusing the halls.

The boy didn't respond. He didn't even seem to realize that there were other people still present. Paying sole attention to the notes he was copying down from whatever textbook he was studying. 

Haoting sauntered to the back of the classroom, his friends snickering behind him. He smirked as he placed a hand on the boy's desk. 

"I asked," Haoting said wryly, "what is your name?" The boy blinked, as if he hadn't even noticed Haoting in his peripheral until he said something. The boy set his pencil down, slowly, and closed his notebook, _slowly._ Haoting bit the inside of his cheek.

"And why do you ask?" The boy said coldly, not even sparing Haoting a glance. Haoting almost laughed, _the gall of this kid._

"Because I can." Haoting responded dryly, _two can play at that game._

"Just because you can doesn't mean you should." The boy retorted, putting his things into his bag. This wouldn't do. 

Haoting grabbed the boy's wrist. "Is it so _hard_ to just give me your name?" Haoting said, smile bordering on something sinister. The boy's hand tightened on his bag.

"Let go of me." The boy said, still not looking at Haoting. Now Haoting was getting a bit pissed off, he wasn't used to being ignored. Haoting only tightened his grip.

"I said, let go of me." The boy said, merely a whisper, and Haoting could feel the boys hand start to shake in his grip. His irritance slowly subsiding.

"I'm so-" He started to apologize, realizing he had gone too far. Before he could get the words out, the boy had ripped his hand from Haoting's grip.

"My name is Yu Xigu."

And punched him straight in the face. 


	2. i dare you

Haoting still stood in the same place, mouth agape, even as the b- Xigu. Xigu put the rest of his things in his bag and left the classroom. He stood there a bit more, until Sunbo came up and poked at his jaw. He winced, and swatted his hand away. He gingerly touched his own cheek as he popped his jaw, and winced. For such a twig that kid had a mean right hook.

Xia En and Xia De looked at each other, and burst into laughter.

"Damn Ahao, you should be glad all the girls already left." Xia De said between laughs.

"That Yu Xigu made you look a damn fool." Xia En said, wiping away tears as his laughter subsided. Haoting rolled his eyes.

"Are you gonna beat his ass, Ahao? Maybe you shouldn't, seeing as you'd probably be the one getting your ass beat." Sunbo said as he laughed.

"Cut it out!" He yelled, but all the boys did was go silent for a second, before bursting into laughter again. Haoting pouted as he hit Sunbo's arm.

"Ok maybe don't fight him... But you gotta get him back Ahao!' Xie De said, and the boys nodded in agreement.

"How to get him back.." Haoting muttered, more to himself than anything.

"Ask him out." Xia En said. "Get him to fall for you, and then break his heart." 

"..This is why you shouldn't use your brain. When you do you only come up with evil shit." Xia De said. 

"That sounds like too much work." Haoting whined, and Xia De rolled his eyes.

"If getting back at him isn't enough incentive, then fine." Xia En paused dramatically.

"I _dare_ you to ask out that Xigu kid." Xia En said, and that sealed the deal.

"And what do I get out of this?" Haoting asked, feigning disinterest.

"Other than the satisfaction of getting back at Yu Xigu? Well... I'll give you $50 bucks if you can sack him within the next four weeks." Xia De said, knowing Haoting would do many questionable things for money.

Haoting smirked as he formulated a plan.

"Why do I have the strange feeling this is going to come back and bite us in the ass..." Sunbo whispered to himself while shaking his head.

Haoting wondered, is it any different to woo a boy than to woo a girl? Specifically, is it any different to woo Yu Xigu? He figured he wouldn't give in for the regular flowers and chocolate.. Hell he didn't even know if the kid was into dudes.

He figured no one could resist the Xiang Haoting's charm, at least, not for long. How to woo Yu Xigu... He had the weekend to prepare.

____________________

Haoting sat upside down on his bed, legs propped against the wall.

How does one woo a boy?

How was he himself, wooed?

Haoting himself was never necessarily "wooed". The girls just kind of fell at his feet, and he just accepted them willingly. Come to think of it, Haoting had never had to work to woo anyone, let alone a boy...

He sighed. How was he going to pull this off?

He could always just be upfront, walk up to him after class, Haoting knows he stays after class to study, and ask if he was interested in boys, or better yet himself. But seeing as during their last interaction, Xigu had punched him, he might get suspicious...

He could ask the girl who sat in front of Xigu to switch him seats, knowing she'd have no problem sitting with Haoting's friends. But he'd miss sitting by them...

He could wait for Xigu to finish his after school studying, he wouldn't stay too long, right?

Wrong.

Haoting had been so, so wrong.

It was nearing _nine._

_Nine pm._

Haoting had been sitting here for six fucking hours. Just so he had the chance to talk to Xigu.

God revenge was going to be so sweet.

Just as he was about to head home, a figure left the library, and seeing how even the principal had gone home already, it could only be Yu Xigu.

"Yu Xigu!" Haoting yelled. Xigu looked back, and then looked forward again, walking with a bit more purpose, pointedly ignoring him. Haoting jogged to catch up with him. 

"Do you always stay this late to study?" Haoting asked when he caught up to Xigu.

"Yes." Xigu responded, eyes still firmly on his converse that seemed to be this close to falling apart at the seams.

"Don't you know it's dangerous to be out this late, alone?"

"I've only learned that lesson tonight." He said, snickering a bit at his own joke. Haoting rolled his eyes but didn't comment.

"Are you always so brash to everyone who's trying to befriend you?"

"If it's done with good intention, then no." He said with an air of finality, but Haoting did not wait six hours to leave with only this. 

"Are you saying I don't have good intentions?" Haoting pouted, seemingly offended. Xigu only laughed.

"If the way your friends were snickering as you walked up to me is any indication, then yes." He responded dryly.

"Don't take anything they do to heart, they're all idiots." Haoting said so seriously Xigu could only let out a shocked laugh.

"Noted.. also, why were _you_ at the school so late?" Xigu questioned, finally looking up at him.

"I wanted to talk to you." He said like it wasn't weird to wait six hours to talk to someone you barely know the name of.

"...Why wait six hours outside when you could have just seen me during lunch? Or right after class? Or even come inside the library?" Xigu questioned, sounding genuinely perplexed.

"I knew you wouldn't talk to me if I did." Haoting says, deadpan. Xigu laughs as if he's been caught.

"That's fair... but what do you want to talk to me about anyways? Is it about me punching you? I've been meaning to apologize but your friends are always around you, and I'm bad at apologizing in front of a lot of people... And I really didn't mean to punch you! I was scared and it was my first instinct and I-" Damn this Xigu kid sure could ramble. Haoting was sure somewhere in there, he had heard Xigu apologize. He sounded genuine, Haoting could just accept it, so he wouldn't have to go through all this trouble.

But Xiang Haoting never backs down from a dare.


	3. A/N

should i even continue this story .

obviously i won't give it the same ending as the actual modc, hell i won't even give it a sad ending but im wondering if anyone will read it...


	4. let the game begin

Xiang Haoting had figured it out. 

He knew how he could woo Yu Xigu.

Which is why, once again, Haoting stays after school. Though this time, he doesn't sit on the curb, waiting for Xigu to get done. No, when the dismissal bell rings, he stays in class, and pulls out his books. His parents will probably give him more allowance if they learn he is staying after school to study, and he also gets to work on the whole wooing Xigu plan. It's a win-win. 

He gets started on science first. Haoting has always hated science, it just never quite makes sense.

He sighs and drops his head down onto his book. He must've been loud, because he can see Xigu looking at him questioningly from his peripheral. He picks himself right back up, and looks over at Xigu. When their gazes meet, Xigu turns his head down to his paper so quickly he hears the boy might have gotten whiplash.

"Yu Xigu." Haoting calls. Xigu ignores him. Haoting sighs and pouts, still not used to being ignored.

"Yu Xiguuu~" He calls him again, drawing it out. He can see Xigu's hand twitch where it's holding the pencil that hasn't moved for the last few minutes.

"Yu Xig-" Haoting starts again but is cut off by a snappish, "What do you want!" He only smiles.

"Are you any good at science?" He asks, and Xigu blinks, stares at his book for a few seconds before closing it with a sigh. He nods as he walks over to straddle the chair of the desk in front of Haoting.

"Good," He says, and smiles, "Will you help me? I don't get it." He pouts at the end and Xigu snorts and rolls his eyes, but takes the book to look at the problems nonetheless.

Xigu hands the book back with a smile, telling Haoting he has nothing to worry about. Haoting would find it almost endearing or cute.. if it were a girl.

Haoting had somehow let his eyes fall from studying where Xigu was pointing his pen to on the paper, to studying Xigu as he talks. 

"-aoting..? Xiang Haoting!" Xigu says as he snaps in front of the other boy's face, and Haoting startles. He must have zoned out... Xigu sighs as he sees Haoting's eyes begin to refocus.

"Were you even paying attention? Here, try this solving this, so I know what you need help on." Haoting nods, and starts to attempt the problem.

( _Xigu isn't prideful enough to deny the fact that Haoting is attractive, buy he will never admit that he stared at Haoting's concentrated face, smiling to himself at the way his brows furrowed in concentration and his eyes fluttered in confusion.)_

When it's about dinner time, he leaves the premises. Xigu apparently didn't expect him to come back, because when Haoting opens the door, he startles.

"What, thought you'd seen the last of me? You're not quite so lucky." Haoting says as he sets two bags down on his desk. Xigu laughs.

Haoting figured that if studying hadn't quite worked on getting Xigu to start trusting him, then food would.

After all, the way to a man's heart, is through his stomach. ( _Or so Haoting hoped)_

"Here." He said and put a bag down onto Xigu's desk. The boy stared at the bag questioningly.

"It won't bite." Haoting teased and Xigu huffed.

"I don't want it." Xigu said, looking away from the bag and Haoting, and crossing his arms. Haoting could've sworn he saw a pout on Xigu's lips.

Haoting sighed, why couldn't he just take the goddamn food? He got up, and walked over to stand right next to Xigu. He bent down, placing both his hands on Xigu's desk, on either side of the boy.

"If you won't eat it willingly, I'll have to make you eat it." He said into the boy's ear. So much for subtlety, he sighed. Xigu was still facing forwards, his mouth slightly agape and eyes wide. Haoting smirked, then moved away to grab everything out of the bag and set it on Xigu's desk.

"Will you eat it, please? Think of it as a thank you, for helping me." Xigu cleared his throat, and opened his mouth as if in protest, but ultimately closed it, and nodded. Haoting smiled.

After Haoting threw a minor fit when Xigu couldn't finish his meal, which lead him fo finding out Xigu usually didn't eat dinner, he pulled out his math paper he hadn't finished in class because he was busy messing around with his friends when the teacher was explaining how to do it.

"Help me?" Haoting asked, Xigu rolled his eyes, "..Please?" Xigu stared at him for a few seconds, then nodded his head. 

Haoting tried to pay attention, he really did, but studying was so _boring._

He stopped studying what Xigu was saying, and started studying the boy himself. Not because he was attractive, but because he was more interesting than his math work.

"Really Haoting, again? Why ask for help if you're not going to pay attention." Xigu huffed, and for a second Haoting forgot the actual reason he was hanging out with Xigu in the first place, it almost felt like they were actual friends, or something. 

"I'm sorry~ Not all of us can be as smart and studious as you, Mr. first place." Haoting whined, and Xigu sighed, sounding less annoyed and more, almost fond, every time he did so.

"Since only watching obviously isn't helping, how about we work on one of these problems together?" Haoting figured it was worth a shof. 

Turns out, that actually did help. Xigu went over it step by step, allowing Haoting to attempt a step on his own if he wished, and praising him if he got it right, and gently correcting him if he got it wrong.

( _and if Xigu stared at Haoting as he looked back down at his paper, because his expression when he got the problem correctly reminded him of an excited child, that was his business_.)

"You'd be a great tutor, Yu Xigu." Haoting said, entirely too serious. Xigu shook his head.

"I'm not very good with.. people," He laughed nervously, "Which is why I volunteer at a daycare when I don't have work. Kids are easy, they say what they want, and mean it. And they're ridiculously blunt." Xigu laughed fondly, probably recalling some memory Haoting didn't know of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chunchih looks so cute and happy in the pics he posts of when he works with kids i just had to involve it


	5. and so the plot thickens

When they finished working out the rest of the problems on Haoting's math paper, they both decided that it was time to call it a day. They packed up their things in silence, sans when Xigu cleared his throat every time he caught Haoting looking at him, and Haoting laughing, and Xigu glaring at him because he laughed, which made Haoting laugh even more. 

They exit the building, Haoting a few feet behind Xigu. Xigu didn't seem to notice, or at least care, until they got to the third crossing on the way to Xigu's home.

"I'm pretty sure you don't live this way." Xigu said, glaring in such a way that Haoting could still make it out in the low light. Haoting sighed, like Xigu was a petulant child.

"Yu Xigu, what kind of man do you take me for? I'm walking you home!" Haoting sighed exasperatedly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, and Xigu huffed.

"I've been doing this for years, I'll be fine." Haoting could practically hear the boy rolling his eyes. Haoting figured, if he couldn't persuade him verbally, he could always show him physically.

He closed the distance between himself and Xigu. He pushed the boy forcefully to the left, so that he hit the wall but Haoting knew it wouldn't do any damage. He pinned Xigu's arms to the wall, caging them with his own, and pressed his back to Xigu's. The boy didn't even move, Haoting could tell he was shocked.

"What if one day, someone were to sneak up behind you and do this, huh?" Haoting pressed the boy's arms to the wall a bit harder for emphasis, "What would you do?" He whispered the last part into Xigu's ear. The boy shivered. When Xigu seemed to regain his senses, he struggled against Haoting, trying to flail his arms, kick his legs, anything. After a good minute or so, Xigu went limp against the wall, and Haoting figured it was because he learned his lesson. But when he went to let him go, he collapsed. 

"Yu Xigu!" Haoting yelled as he caught the boy, who was unresponsive and limp. Haoting was starting to panic. Had he scared the boy so badly he passed out? He felt the boy's wrist, and sighed in relief, as it felt relatively normal. He felt Xigu's forehead in case the boy had a fever and-

_Holy shit_

He was absolutely burning up. Haoting may be messing with the boy but he couldn't leave the boy here.. He didn't know where Xigu's house was, either..

Haoting sighed. 

Looks like his only option was to take Yu Xigu home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so sorry for the short chapter! i really didn't want to spoil anything or end it weirdly so i had to end it there.. i'll try ti get the next chapter out soon


End file.
